Fodor’s has shared its No List 2025, featuring 15 spots grappling with their own success. These locations are breathtaking, captivating, and culturally significant, yet they’re struggling with the impact of their fame.
Their governments focus on enhancing tourist experiences to the detriment of local communities, leading to significant changes, causing overtourism, rising prices, housing availability, damage to nature or landmarks, etc.
The sites on the “No” list deserve admiration and are well worth visiting. However, they face fundamental, immediate challenges. Fodor’s doesn’t suggest travel boycotts, as these can hurt local economies without solving issues. Recognizing problems is the first step toward solutions. The “No” list points out where tourism is putting unsustainable pressure on land and communities. Addressing these issues ensures these beloved destinations remain enjoyable for future generations.
Perennial No-List Destinations
- Bali, Indonesia: Uncontrolled growth from too many tourists harms Bali’s environment and culture. In 2023, Bali welcomed 5.3 million international visitors, recovering back to pre-pandemic numbers. Tourist surge strains infrastructure and leaves beaches littered with trash. Waste management struggles and polluted coastal waters hurt the area’s ecology. The Asian Development Bank flagged nutrients and metals from waste as key pollutants.
- European Destinations: Many Europeans are fed up with excessive tourism. Tourist numbers soared in 2024, increasing by 7.2% in the first quarter. Locals are angry at rising living costs, crowded areas, and cultural loss. Anti-tourism protests erupted across Spain, Portugal, and Italy, rejecting tourism’s unchecked growth. Due to this influx, major cities like Barcelona, Mallorca, the Canary Islands, Lisbon, and Venice are seeing a decline in their quality of life.
- Koh Samui, Thailand: Overtourism in Koh Samui is expected to worsen as a new TV series—HBO’s The White Lotus—draws more visitors. The island already matches pre-COVID visitor numbers, intensifying issues like waste accumulation and unregulated construction. Concerns rise over the environmental impact and strain on local infrastructure.
- Mount Everest: Sagarmatha’s popularity endangers the Sherpa community and harms the environment. Lower entry barriers bring inexperienced climbers, increasing risks for all. Overcrowding at Sagarmatha National Park mirrors a decade-long visitor boom. Waste accumulation on Everest and trail areas causes environmental degradation. Locals and workers urge better tourism management to protect the region.
Destinations Beginning to Suffer
- Agrigento, Sicily: As the 2025 Italian Capital of Culture, Agrigento will likely attract more visitors. Yet a severe water shortage threatens its cultural sites and residents—ageing infrastructure and a prolonged drought compound the crisis. Tourism might exacerbate these issues, calling for immediate action.
- British Virgin Islands: Heavy reliance on cruise tourism keeps money offshore while infrastructure development lags. Post-pandemic tourist numbers reached record highs, yet the benefits for locals remain limited. Environmental concerns and slow infrastructure planning exacerbate these issues.
- Kerala, India: Tourism growth worsens natural disasters in Kerala. Unchecked development increases landslide and flood risks. Tourism’s lack of regulation harms local communities and ecosystems, raising safety concerns.
- Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan: Overcrowding in popular Japanese cities leads to complaints of “tourism pollution.” Visitors ignore local rules, causing congestion and rising costs. Domestic visitors and locals feel the pinch as prices soar.
- Oaxaca, Mexico: Overtourism creates local resentment in Oaxaca, leading to cultural commercialization and displacement. Rising Airbnb rentals and the influx of foreigners exacerbate housing shortages and inflate living costs. Locals struggle with infrastructure strain as tourists increase.
- Scotland North Coast 500: The NC500 road trip is too popular, causing environmental harm and nuisance for locals. Traffic jams and inadequate facilities lead to litter and waste issues. There’s a call for better tourist education and infrastructure improvements along the route.
Fodor’s No List 2025 Has Limitations
Fodor’s no-list 2025 is far from being all-encompassing and complete; it is limiting at best. Many other destinations around the world are grappling with the effects of overtourism and are already proactively implementing measures to curb the influx of visitors.
- In anticipation of the Olympic Games, Paris doubled tourist taxes on travel stays and bumped entrance fees for tourist attractions.
- Athens faces a significant overtourism issue. Its population of around 650,000 welcomed over seven million tourists in 2023. Tourism expert Katerina Kikilia highlighted the urgent need for regulations, warning of critical overtourism consequences. Short-term holiday rentals contribute to a housing crisis, while tourists cause pollution, litter, congestion, and crime. In response, authorities have capped daily visits to the Acropolis and introduced a tourist tax and a temporary ban on new short-term rental licenses.
- Istanbul’s population exceeds 15 million, yet it struggles with overtourism. With 20.2 million international arrivals last year, it’s the world’s most visited city. Visitors over eight pay £20 ($28) to explore the Hagia Sophia, helping cover renovations. The site draws 3.5 million annually, leading to damage and vandalism concerns.
- Budapest’s tourist-to-local ratio is less extreme than that of other cities, at less than 3:1 last year. Short-term holiday rentals remain a significant concern. Residents voted to ban such rentals in District VI, a busy tourist area, from 2026.
- Prague saw 7.4 million tourists last year, overshadowing its 1.3 million residents. Stag parties in the city centre are problematic. The city council has considered banning pub crawls and stag costumes. Restriction measures include higher e-scooter fines and tighter noise rules. Late-night traffic is prohibited in the Old Town, and an ad campaign promotes good tourist behaviour.
- Krakow attracted 9.4 million tourists, and residents faced nuisances from stag groups. Efforts to curb late-night behaviour include alcohol bans and courtesy posters. Frustrated locals sued the town hall, claiming inadequate action. A lawyer noted that tourists act wildly in the city.
- Dubrovnik struggles under a 27:1 tourist-to-local ratio, risking UNESCO status and historic charm. Cruise arrivals are limited, new holiday permits are banned, and a ‘Respect the City’ effort has been launched to mitigate impacts.
- Split endures overtourism effects like noise and late-night disturbances, threatening its Roman heritage. Despite warnings and penalties, tourists rarely face consequences, frustrating locals.
- Edinburgh hosts 5.3 million overnight stays annually, in part due to its famed festival. A housing emergency was declared, linked to rising holiday lets. The council introduced stricter short-term rental regulations and a tourist tax.
- Bruges endured 8.3 million tourists among 120,000 residents. Cruise docking and holiday homes face restrictions, yet daytrippers persist. Visitor limits and entry fees are considered but not implemented.
- With 23 million visitors last year, Amsterdam deals with rental-driven locals’ displacement.
The list could encompass other international destinations beyond Europe’s borders. Suffice it to say that all these locales face similar overtourism-driven issues.
A “no-go” warning doesn’t suffice to curb these destinations’ popularity and appeal. Despite tourist taxes and upward increments in pricing for… well, about everything, travellers will keep flocking to these places. Limiting the number of visitors per season seems like a viable solution so far.
